Blueberry Sourdough Sweet Rolls

These rolls are sweet and fruity with a slight sourdough tang. Blueberry sourdough sweet rolls are a fun twist on classic sourdough cinnamon rolls. Filled with blueberries and drizzled with a cream cheese frosting, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

I love a good sourdough sweet roll and have many recipes for them, from my sourdough raspberry lemon rolls, sourdough banana cinnamon rolls, sourdough chocolate rolls, and sourdough carrot cake cinnamon rolls. These soft and fluffy rolls are one of my favorites, combining the tangy flavor of sourdough and sweet blueberries for an extra special summer treat. Naturally leavened sweet dough filled and a homemade blueberry filling that can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries is a hard to beat combination. These rolls use the same dough as my sourdough cinnamon roll recipe.

This dough for the recipe is leavened using sourdough starter. If you’re not sure what sourdough starter is, check out my How to Make a Sourdough Starter post to learn all about it.

Blueberry Sourdough Sweet Roll Ingredients

Sweet Dough Ingredients

• Whole Milk – Incorporating milk adds moisture, replacing the need for water. It also adds fat to enrich the dough, making these rolls soft and fluffy.
• Sourdough Starter – This recipe uses Sourdough Starter to make the dough rise instead of baker’s yeast. Make sure your starter is fed the night before you plan to bake, so it is active and bubbly when you mix the dough.
• Sugar – Sugar gives the wild yeast in your starter a boost, helping the dough to rise, and also makes it sweet. I use raw organic cane sugar when baking, but any sugar will work.
• Egg – Egg plays a crucial role in enriching the dough and providing these rolls with a light and tender texture. For best results, use a room temperature egg when making the dough.
• Bread Flour –  For this recipe, I used organic bread flour. Bread flour will give these sourdough rolls the best rise and the softest crumb. If using all-purpose flour, you may need to increase the amount of flour called for in this recipe.
• Salt – Salt is added to enhance flavor without making these rolls salty. It also acts to strengthen the dough.
• Butter – Butter enriches this dough making these rolls soft and tender. I use unsalted butter when baking, but you can use salted by omitting the salt in this recipe.

Blueberry Filling Ingredients

• Sugar – Cane sugar makes the filling extra sweet. I use raw organic cane sugar when baking, but any sugar will work.
• Blueberries – Fresh or frozen blueberries can be used to make the homemade blueberry filling.
• Cornstarch – Corn starch helps to thicken the filling as it bakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• Cream Cheese – Cream cheese makes this frosting extra yummy. You can replace it with butter if you prefer a non cream cheese based frosting.
• Butter – Butter adds a richness to this frosting that you can’t get with cream cheese alone. Use room temperature unsalted butter to make the frosting.
• Powdered Sugar – I use organic powdered sugar when I make frosting. Organic powdered sugar is lumpier than conventional powdered sugar, so it will need to be sifted first.
• Milk – Adding milk helps to thin it out the frosting, making it pourable. Use less or more milk than what the recipe calls for to achieve your desired consistency.

How to Make Blueberry Sourdough Sweet Rolls

Tip: Sourdough baked goods have a long rise time. Take a look at my Sample Bakers Schedule before you begin so you have a better idea on when to start and how to plan ahead.

Step 1: Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the active sourdough starter and milk until the starter is fully dissolved. Next, whisk in the sugar and room temperature egg until well incorporated.

Sift the flour and salt into the bowl, stirring until a shaggy dough begins to form. Then, add the room temperature butter, mixing either by hand or with a stand mixer until fully incorporated. It is important to use room temperature butter or this step will be difficult. You can test the butter’s softness by pressing your finger into it. If you can easily push all the way through without resistance, then the butter is ready.

Step 2: Strengthen the Dough

After mixing, cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Uncover the dough and knead it on medium speed with a dough hook attachment for approximately 12 minutes. The dough is ready when it becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If working without a stand mixer strengthen the dough by hand. To do this perform three sets of stretch and folds.

How to Stretch and Fold:

• To prevent sticking, lightly wet your hands before handling the dough.
• Start by scooping up an edge of the dough and gently pulling it upwards.
• Continue pulling the dough until you reach a point where it resists being stretched, then fold it over itself.
• Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this stretching and folding motion.
• Keep turning the bowl, performing the stretch and fold technique until you complete a full circle. These four stretch and folds are called a set.
• Repeat the process of allowing the dough to rest and performing the stretch and fold method two more times. In total, you will have completed three sets.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth to bulk ferment the dough at 72°F(21°C) for 8-9 hours, or overnight. The dough will need to rise until it is double its original size. It’s important to note that rise times can vary based on the temperature in your home, so adjust the time accordingly.

Step 4: Make the Blueberry Filling

In a medium-sized pan, combine the fresh or frozen blueberries, sugar, and corn starch. Stir the mixture continuously as you bring it to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

Once begins to boiling, remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool before transferring it to a bowl. Place the bowl of homemade blueberry filling into the fridge while the dough finishes bulk fermentation, allowing it to fully chill.

Step 5: Make the Sweet Rolls

Before turning out the dough, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape and use a floured rolling pin to roll it out into a 12″x15″ rectangle.

Spread the homemade blueberry filling evenly over the sheet of sweet dough, leaving a one-inch margin along the width. This margin will help to seal the rolls when you roll up the dough.

Now that the filling is spread roll the dough up tightly. Start with the end opposite of the margin and roll inwards applying a gentle pressure.

Lightly wet the margin with water before closing, and allow the rolled dough to rest seam side down for a minute to ensure a tight seal. Then, using a non-serrated knife, cut the log into 10 evenly sized rolls.

Tip: Wetting your knife every few cuts will prevent the dough from pulling and give you clean cuts.

Step 6: Second Rise

Arrange the cut rolls in a 9″x13″ pan, ensuring they are evenly spaced apart. Place a cloth or kitchen towel over the rolls, so they are well covered.

Let them rise at a temperature of around 72°F (21°C) for approximately two hours. During this second rise, the rolls will increase in size and become visibly poofy. It’s important to note that rise times can vary based on the temperature in your home, so adjust the time accordingly.

Tip: For a quicker second rise, preheat your oven and place your pan on top of the stove. The heat the oven gives off will allow your rolls to rise much quicker.

Wanting to bake later? Cover the pan of rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or place them in the freezer for up to a week. When you are ready to bake, allow the rolls to come to room temperature and perform the second rise.

Step 7: Bake and Frost

Position your rolls on the center rack of a 350°F (177°C) preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. Whisk together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and milk until you achieve a glue like consistency. Add more or less milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency.

Once the rolls are out of the oven, allow them to cool for 15 minutes. Then, generously pour the cream cheese frosting over top and serve the blueberry sourdough sweet rolls warm.

How to Store Blueberry Sourdough Sweet Rolls

Whether you have leftovers from a batch or want to prepare them in advance, here are some tips to help you store blueberry sourdough sweet rolls.

Storing at room temperature: Store leftover sourdough sweet rolls at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When ready to eat the leftover rolls, reheat them individually in the microwave, or warm the entire pan in a 350°F (177°C) preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Storing in the refrigerator: Make sure the rolls are completely cooled and store leftover blueberry sourdough sweet rolls in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. When ready to eat the leftover rolls, reheat them individually in the microwave, or warm the entire pan in a 350°F (177°C) preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until heated through.

To make the rolls and bake later, cover the pan of rolls tightly before second rise and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The rolls will still rise in the fridge, but at a much slower rate. When you are ready to bake, allow the rolls to come to room temperature and bake as directed.

Storing in the freezer: I don’t recommend freezing pre-baked blueberry rolls. To freeze the rolls and bake them later, cover the pan of rolls tightly before second rise and place them in the freezer for up to a week. When you are ready to bake, allow the rolls to come to room temperature, perform second rise, and bake as directed.

Sample Bakers Schedule

9 AM (day 1): Feed your sourdough starter.

9 PM (day 1): Mix the dough together.

9:30 PM (day 1): Strengthen the dough and cover to bulk ferment overnight.

10 PM (day 1): Make the homemade blueberry filling and place it in the fridge to chill.

6:30 AM (day 2): Roll and fill the dough, then cut it into 10 rolls.

7 AM (day 2): Arrange the rolls in a 9″x13″ pan and cover for second rise.

9AM (day 2): Bake the blueberry sourdough sweet rolls and make the frosting.

9:40 AM (day 2): Frost and serve the rolls.

More Sweet Roll Recipes

• Sourdough Raspberry Lemon Rolls
• Sourdough Banana Cinnamon Rolls
• No-Knead Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Chocolate Rolls